It’s Epiphany today, when Christians remember the Magi who visited the infant Jesus and his parents, bringing gifts. But we’re still officially (I think) in the church’s Christmas season. I’m rather a hapless Anglican when it comes to the liturgical calendar. But I think it’s still legitimate to share a song that has delighted me in my meditation on the incarnation this year, prompted by an conversation which included the Engineer’s godmother, Song. She has just completed her Old Testament PhD on the Song of Songs, so we now have to call her Dr Song. And she pointed out to me that the carol Jesus Christ the Apple Tree, that I’d loved for a while whilst being puzzled as to its origins, has its roots (badoom-tish) in the Song:
Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest
is my beloved among the young men.Song of Solomon 2:3
The song has also been on my mind as I’ve been reading my bible this season. There are a lot of trees in the bible aren’t there?
There are indeed. I wonder if the tradition of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil being an apple tree is derived from the apple tree in the Song.
Although the assertion in the carol is that the apple tree is the Tree of LIfe which fits better if the apple tree is a picture of the Lord Jesus.
That’s true, though maybe one could assume that they were the same kind of tree?
This may be helpful.
Now there’s a PhD topic / Bible overview for you: Trees in the Bible (including the cross, of course). Ps 1. Is the Temple tree-ish?